Do This and You Will Live

We all know the parable of the Good Samaritan.  We typically remember it as, “Do unto others..”  The actual words used in today’s Gospel are, Go and do likewise, referring to showing mercy as did the Samaritan.

Between these two statements, one that ‘opens’ todays Gospel and one that ‘closes’ it, is contained the fullness of what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Christ.

Our Lord’s statement, Do this and you will live, is pointed toward the ‘certain lawyer’s’ answer to our Lord’s asking him to interpret his own understanding of what scripture teaches about eternal salvation.  Each of us daily assesses What must I do (today) to be found worthy of entering into the Kingdom of Heaven—’Eternal Life’?  The answer given by the man is affirmed by God the Son.  The answer was, focusing on self, I must love the Lord my God with all my heart, all my soul, all my strength, and all my mind, and along with that, I must love my neighbor as myself.

Today’s focus is the ‘Good Samaritan,’ but let’s together delve into the first part of the man’s answer.

1) I must love God with all my heart:  What is the heart in terms of meaning to this commandment? In one sense, the heart is the source of our life.  While our hearts beat, we live.  In another sense it is the source of our bonding with others.  Love is a bond between hearts.  And so this commandment is saying to us that we must dedicate that which gives us life and that which gives us love FULLY—using all my heart—to loving my Lord and my God.

2) I must love God with all my soul:  The first part above dedicates everything physical about me to loving God.  This portion dedicated everything spiritual about me to loving Him.  I must use all my soul to love Him.

3) I must love God with all my strength:  Strength is a capacity to accomplish a goal.  St. Isaac the Syrian says, ‘Whoever prematurely begins a work that is above his strength receives nothing, but only brings harm upon himself.  I must expend all my capacity, all my effort to loving my Lord and my God!

4) I must love God with all my mind:  In short, I can’t be preoccupied with the things of THIS world.  I must have focus, dedicating all that effort in 3) by using my intellect to direct my love—towards my Lord and my God.

Finally, the last portion of the man’s answer puts meat on the bone of the first portion of the answer.  I must love my neighbor as myself.  If I were to accomplish (in my own evaluation of self) ALL of the previous four, but never reached out with my heart to my neighbor, never dedicated my spirit to serving my neighbor, never exerted my strength for the benefit of my neighbor, never focused on the needs of my neighbor as opposed to my own needs, or in my case too often my own desires, then they have all been done in vain!

Our Lord’s instructions to us to qualify as followers, to bear the Holy Name of ‘Christian’, are not so onerous.  Lord, give to us each day the heart, the soul, the strength, and the mind to love the least of Your brethren, for in loving them, we show our love for You.  Help us to find our paths to eternal life in Your heavenly Kingdom!

Glory to Jesus Christ!  Glory forever! 

Who is this Rich Man?

I recall reading from the Holy Fathers.  Which one in particular I cannot recall.  The identity does not matter—the content does.  In this particular account a monk was speaking with a visitor, who asked him how he fasts and why he fasts.  The old man replied, “I take 100 grams of bread each day (about a quarter pound).  If I were to eat more, I would be stealing from another who is hungry.”

Living in the world as we do, we too easily lose perspective on how we (individually) live as compared with others around the world, others who are in need. 

Not for all of us, but for most of us, our cupboards are stocked with enough to carry us for several days.  If we’re out of milk, the grocery store is not far away, and even though milk is more expensive now that perhaps ever, we have enough resources to get not only what we need, but more than that if we so choose.

RTS, which is a waste management service, has a survey which indicates that Americans waste about 60 million tons of food every year.  We won’t impose the aforementioned monastic’s rigor on all, but if we allowed three meals in a day at 2 pounds of food in total, that 60 million tons could feed 30 million hungry people.  This same RTS survey also suggested an estimate of 35 million Americans (including 10 million children) suffer from “food insecurity”.  In short, if the waste could be turned into resource, we could wipe out hunger in our country!

In one of today’s Gospel readings we encounter again Lazarus and ‘the rich man’.  Note carefully that our Lord gives the suffering man’s name—Lazarus.  The name Lazarus means ‘God has helped.’  Our Lord does not call the rich man by name.  God does not “remember” his name!  This is the meaning of our prayer for departed souls, “May his (her) memory be eternal!”, asking that the person be found in God’s Book of Life, ever remembered by Him!

Within the meaning of Lazarus’ name, we find yet more teaching.  The images to be found in pondering ‘God has helped’ are multiple.  Lazarus suffered in this life, but still fell under God’s providential care, being led to a place where, when his soul was called for, he was found worthy to be gathered with the sheep, with the righteous.  After death, God has helped by placing Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom.

This is diametrically opposed to the condition of the rich man, who with his fine clothes and sumptuous eating was united in this world not to eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven, but he was shackled to the dust of this earth, to which he then returned—without God knowing afterwards who he was, not to be found in God’s eternal memory.

Who is this “Rich Man”?

He is me.  I am him.  God knows the names of all those people who I regularly pass by without ever noticing or recognizing their need.  But when it comes to that day when He speaks the word and calls for my soul to part from my body, will He remember me?  And more to the point, what must I do in the here and now to change from one who is absorbed with self to one who lives selflessly, living for those who have no bread, both physically and spiritually.  For my Lord has called me (and He is calling all of us) to care for “the least of His brethren” in whatever needs they have for which He has given us talents and resources over and above that necessary to supply our own “need” - not want, NEED!

  

Boasting in One's Infirmities

We’re just “people”, as common as the clay of the earth—from which God created us, and to which He promises us that we will return!

I’m therefore nothing ‘special’.  That’s a hard saying for those in our society.  It is especially hard for parents, who consistently want to make their children “feel special.”  “God only made one of you!” we say, and that’s true.  But He also made billions of others.  And so in a very real way, we are as “special” as every snowflake, which is different from every other one, but is simultaneously as common as the next one to fall from the sky!

In today’s Epistle reading (2Cor 11:31-12:9), Saint Paul demonstrates to us how very uncommon he is.

He begins by relating the account of how he had to depend on others to smuggle him physically out of Damascus to save his life.

But then he goes on to describe “a man”, which obviously becomes a pseudonym for himself, who experienced Divine revelations, being caught up to the third heaven, and also being caught up into Paradise where he heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.  This gives us only a dim glimpse into the holiness that exists in the heavenly realms, where spiritual beings (the angels) give voice to things that we, as God’s creation, His “people”, are bound by His Heavenly law to NOT pronounce!

It takes someone more “special” than Saint Paul to speak such words!

Saint Paul uses the word “boast”.  The Greek word used is kauchaomai, which translates more often to glory than to boast.  But it also carries the additional meaning of rejoice.  The Saint is giving us a wealth of meaning by his choice of words, indicative of his being overcome with awe at what God revealed to him.

Now, all of this indeed makes St. Paul one of a very few who have ever had a revelation such as this.  We would conclude that this indeed makes him “special”!

But what words does he use immediately following these?

Of such a one I will glory, yet of myself I will not glory, except in my infirmities.  The word used for infirmities is astheneia, which also means weakness or sickness.

What is a focus on weakness indicative of if not of sin?  And so immediately following the incredible description of things heavenly, Saint Paul brings us immediately back to earth, and to his (and through him, our) sinfulness.  The one special snowflake has just attached himself to the pile of those billions of others, showing in only a few words what potential God has built into us, His creation, but leaving us as members of the larger humanity.

Why?

All of us have been given gifts.  They are to be used in godly ways, in ways that benefit the spiritual well-being of those whom God puts into our lives as being in need in ways He has blessed each of us individually to be of help to the least of His brethren.

Saint Paul goes on to show how God even has a purpose for physical infirmity, wherein one as close to the Lord as Saint Paul is told that his illness will NOT be healed.  Why?  Because My grace is sufficient for you.  In short, “I’ve given you what you need to find salvation.  That includes a little suffering!  Again, why?  For My strength is made perfect in weakness! 

None of us ever want to bear the burdens of sickness nor suffering.  None of us want to watch loved ones have to bear those burdens.  But we need to trust in God who gives to us only that which is of benefit for our salvation—even infirmity.

If we can come to a recognition of such a loving grace from our Lord, we too can glory in our own infirmities.

Glory to Jesus Christ!  Glory forever!